Quiz: Are You Hot or Not?

A NEW STUDY FOUND THAT MEN TYPICALLY OVERRATE THEIR SEX APPEAL WHILE WOMEN UNDERESTIMATE THEIRS. TIME FOR A REALITY CHECK(LIST).

The Checklist (Column A: Check off any characteristic that relates to you in a general sense, e.g., you may not drive a hybrid car, but if you’re eco-conscious enough to use compact fluorescents and recycle, give yourself a check. Column B: Check off any characteristic that is usually descriptive of you, e.g., if you had only one late car payment, leave that box blank.)

FOR MEN ONLY FOR WOMEN ONLY

ARE YOU A BABE magnet or a romance repellant? University of Texas at Austin researchers asked men and women to rate their own attractiveness on a scale of 1 to 7. Then after a series of brief meetings with members of the opposite sex, subjects were asked to rate how attractive these people were and how sexually interested each subject thought them to be. The findings: Guys rated themselves as a lot more attractive than the women they met did. Women consistently underrated their appeal. Interestingly, the hotter the woman was rated, the better a man thought his chances were with her. Men reporting high interest in casual hookups also expressed confidence that ladies liked ’em. “Our study doesn’t address [this] directly, but if his thinking he’s a stud causes him to approach more women . . . he will probably be more successful!” notes author Carin Perilloux. Threes and fours of the world, take note: Confidence counts in the numbers game that is modern dating.

The verdict Fewer than 3 in column A or more than 10 in column B If you were any colder, you’d be a cadaver 4 to 6 in column A or 8 to 10 in column B Turn up the heat; your sizzle has fizzled 7 to 11 in column A or 5 to 7 in column B Pretty darn hot 12 or more in column A or fewer than 5 in column B Smokin’!